How Sudan’s protesters upped the ante, and forced al-Bashir from power

by ANDREW EDWARD TCHIE

This image of a woman leading a protest in Khartoum, Sudan on April 8th has been widely shared on Sudanese social media and around the world. Sudanese women’s rights activist Hala Al-Karib told the Washington Post that the photo sums up “this moment we have been waiting for for the past 30 years.” PHOTO/Lana Haroun /@lana_hago

Following months of protests, and a prolonged sit-in outside the
military headquarters in Khartoum, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was
placed under house arrest on April 11 as the country’s military prepared for a transitional government.

Many have described the Sudanese uprising as a “bread protest”
against a rise in inflation. In fact the Sudanese people took to the
streets for much more than a struggling economy, or the price of bread.
They have been calling for freedom, peace, justice and the downfall of the regime.

These policies have been particularly harsh against women’s freedoms
and rights, which explains why young Sudanese women are at the heart of
the uprising. The policies have also resulted in multiple years of
conflict and insecurity in Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile.

Sudan’s governing system has already deteriorated because of years of
state autocracy, nepotism, corruption and violent conflict.

Al-Bashir’s removal may bring down the state if a strong successor
isn’t positioned to replace him. But in my view, given how Sudan has
historically been run, the democratic preferences of many young
protesters is unlikely to come to fruition. Their expectations for a
functioning democracy, with free and fair elections, and constitutional
freedoms will not be met unless the next leader of Sudan is a reformist.

Al-Bashir’s first responses

The regime responded to the protests in three ways.

First, al-Bashir tried to quickly re-consolidate his power by
proposing constitutional changes that would have allowed him to stand
for reelection in 2020. That was quickly taken off the table.

He then declared a year-long nationwide state of emergency. The emergency state prohibited “unauthorized” gatherings and movements. Violence followed as the state deployed heavy-handed tactics to break up the protests.

Al-Bashir also dissolved federal and state governments, replacing
almost all of Sudan’s 18 state governors with army officers. And he ordered parliament to
delay deliberations over proposed constitutional amendments that would
allow him to run for an extra-constitutional term in next year’s
elections.

When the protests didn’t subside he called for broad-based dialogue.

In a bid to stay in power, al-Bashir also reached out to those who
had backed him financially on previous occasions. These included the
Persian Gulf states as well as Egypt and Russia. However, these allies
have done little more than offer him vague statements of support.

By the time al-Bashir stepped down protests had taken hold in more than 35 cities across the country. People took to the streets in more and more places following the first demonstration in the northern Nile-side town of Atbara.

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